I’m sorry, I’ve been a bad, bad blogger. Once again I have put off blogging too long and now I have to backpedal just to catch up. Lets see . . .

Friday Rio and I visited his new school, met his teacher, toured the building, and it was a great success. He was wound up and very goofy, but that’s why it’s good to have a dry run like that, to introduce him to a new environment prior to the real thing. There was no school that day, so he was able to explore his new classroom all by himself. Afterward, we romped on the playground for a while. We had some exceptionally beautiful weather that day, so later on we went to another park and brought the dog along for a bit of hiking and exploring. It was great fun and Hercules and I really got to spend a wonderful day together.

Prior to that, I went to a Parent-Teacher conference the night before. This is worth noting primarily because Rio’s teacher, Mrs. K, seemed genuinely sorry and regretful about his departure. She even teared up on a couple of occasions. When I told her that his new teacher has full-time help in her classroom, she gasped and cried, “If I had helpers in my classroom, Rio wouldn’t have to leave!” She really seemed sad about the whole situation, and confessed that she felt as though she had failed Rio somehow. I’ve always had very good interactions with her throughout this experience. The principal is the one who has given me the most grief and aggravation, and that night I got the distinct feeling that Mrs. K was not at all happy with how this situation was handled, even resentful that she wasn’t able to get more assistance in her classroom. This cements my suspicions regarding the principal and her agenda.

God bless Mrs. K. She did the best she could. I wish her only the best.

Another thing that developed late last week was my realization that I was playing into a victim complex and allowing Rio to do the same. The Diva gave me a nice reality check there, and so I made sure to let Rio know that he had to accept responsibility for his behavior and that that was why he wouldn’t be allowed to stay at his old school. Like it or not, he propelled this whole series of events by his classroom outbursts. He’s not going to learn anything by blaming others for the consequences of his own actions.

But today was the Big Day. Today Hercules went to his new school and all morning I was anxious to know how it was going. And wouldn’t you know it, but I got an email from Mrs. L, the school counselor, and she gave me an update around lunchtime: He’s doing great! He was a little bummed out because his new teacher had to leave in the afternoon and so they had a substitute after lunch, but he handled it well nonetheless. Mrs. L let him know that she would be telling me how good he’s been today, and that seemed to please him. I really love that Mrs. L, and I am incredibly thankful for her efforts to make this transition as painless as possible for Rio.

So it was a good report on a fine day, and all is well in the world. At least in our world, that is. And for that I am infinitely grateful.

Praise The Lord....We've been praying for just this type or report! And you as his Mom get a lot of credit for doing all that was necessary on your part to have this positive result. We are so very proud of you!